looking for some starting tips on a techno-dwarf

I just started playing Arcanum with a technology origented dwarf, but there is so much to choose from in terms of building abilities and skills. it's overwhelming. i want my dwarf to be mostly a gun slinger, but i would like him to have the abilities to make weapons/armor for my followers. also, since my dwarf is heavily into techno, then i'll have to dabble into herbs for healing no? is this all feasible or will i be spreading my CP's too thinly?
what should i concentrate my char on to get him on a good path to success?

thank you for any advice/tips.

 

One option is to play an all firearms party and learn gunsmithy. You can outfit all your followers with guns and form a gunnery squad. Gun followers include Sebastian, Vollinger, and Franklin Payne.
Another option is to play a gunsmithy character and get Magnus so you can make some Smithy items. Having Magnus will let you build pyro axes for your party with the help of tech manuals.
Another option would be to play a Smithy character who uses guns, but doesn't build them. The gun from Doc Roberts is good and Fate Points can be used to steal other guns like the LGR, Hand Cannon, and Sharpshooter's Pistol. You can also get Vollinger to make you guns if you take him on as a follower.

 

Well it all depends on what your ultimate goal is. There is plently of good guns in the game, that you could find and either steal or kill their owner- LGR, two elephant guns, long range pistol, two hand cannons and a mechanized gun. There is also lots of schematics for better weapons you could make based on those weapons. Vollinger can make fine revolvers and repeater rifles.
There is also enough good armor. A gunslinger doesn't really need heavy armor, but if you want it anyway, there is a small machined plate and a small elite plate that you could steal. Besides, the dwarven platemail that you can buy is also fine. There are also good plates of normal size and half-ogre size.
What would REALLY be a waste is learning herbology or healing. Take Jayna from Dernholm as a follower, she can heal and knows herbology. She also knows a fair bit of therapeutics, and the drugs she can make are extremely useful (you can save up to 6 CPs).
But don't worry either way. There is plenty of character points in this game, and most of the time the problem is not that you don't hav enough, but that you don't know what to do with them

 

Put two cp's into electric,(charged rings)one into herbology,(so you don't have to tote that she-male Jayna around)max out mechanical and smithy(googled helmet PE +3, feather weight chain/elite plate, automations, vendigroth gauntlets, the fun goes on and on.)

For cool items like the flow disruptor shield and the pyro ax, purchased tech manuals from tarant in addition to your doctorate in smithy work just fine. Don't waste cp's on any other disciplines, you'll be dissapointed. Max out PE, DX, INT, and include a decent STR, do the ultimate blessing quest and you'll have a dwarf to be proud of.

Don't forget to include bonuses received from items and the blessing quest when calculating cp usage, I used to plan every cp from the word go(OCD)and keep track so as not to waste any.

I was very happy with the results. Get Sogg/Chukka, Torian, and Dog as followers(don't forget the jewel of Hebe for that all important CHR bonus).

 

The Goggled helmet is overrated. You must invest 5 CPs into smithy (and 4 more into mechanical if you're not using Magnus) to get 3 PE. I prefer using Trapmaker's spectacles (+2DX+2PE), unless you're melee of course, then you won't find anything better than Miner's helmet. Maxing out INT also isn't necessery, if its only got item building purposes you can use potions of intellect (+10 INT for a short time, enough to invest your CPs into schematics you want).
Jayna is an excellent addition to a tech team. Her drugs give you +2DX,+2PE,+2ST- saves you 6 CPs already. Besides, she's an excellent healer and CAN be a decent fighter if you don't overload her. Give her a charged sword or even a pyro axe (in this case she shouldn't use a shield) and don't keep her too overloaded.
Smithy is useful for a tech melee fighter, but for archers or gunslingers its not needed. A gnomish chainmail, though magick, has the same weight as a feather weight one, and almost the same protection. The armor for your other followers doesn't have to be the best of the best, since it is mostly you who is a target for attacks. A small Elite and Machined plates can be stolen in the game.
Jayna and Magnus make the life of a techie much easier, so do Vollinger (for a gunslinger) and Sebastian, who can make grenades. In fact, you can refrain from learning ANY tech disciplines, unless you need some very specific items (Pyro bow, Tesla rod/gun, Tranqilizer gun, more than one LGR, big/small healing jacket). The rest you can either find or make with the help of your followers.

 

I thought that followers/npcs won't gain as high of a rating in a particular discipline as compared to your own character. if the followers can make some good stuff, then what would be the point of making a technologist character?
basically, though, i want my dwarf to make all the guns and have *some* ability in making armor/weapons for himself and his followers.
i would rather not rely on the followers too much except for kicking butt in combat.

 

The followers usually learn two disciplines, 4 schematics in each. So you won't get an Elite plate off Magnus, but he can make featherweight axes, auto skeleton key and eye gear. Sebastian won't make you a Tesla rod, but he CAN make flow spectrometer and all types of grenades that are worth making. Vollinger won't make an elephant gun, but you can get repeater rifles off him, and charges as well. Why bother making everytihng yourse'f when you can use the skills of your followers?

 

Okay, so I'll use the followers to make some lower end stuff but I still need to invest into a discipline to its max in order to make things that the followers can't make.
anyway, lets say i'm going to have my dwarf be strictly a gunsmith and max this discipline out which followers should i take along that can make other things? by the way, is virgil worth keeping around? his healing is useless to me unless i supply him with bandages and his combat isn't too impressive either.
by the way, who is a good all-around melee fighter?

 

If you want melee fighters in the party, you'll need Magnus for feather weight axes. He can also make eye gear for you when he's level 20 something (+2PE, very useful for a gunslinger, and you can sell them for almost 1000 coins each). Jayna is good for ANY tech party, her drugs do wonders. Sebastian can make grenades- great secondary weapon, especially stun ones. If you're planning to make a Tesla gun, you'll need Vollinger, because he can make charges for it.

Tech healing ALWAYS needs bandages or healing salves from Herbology. I usually prefer Jayna over Virgil when playing a tech, but if you want to be evil Jayna won't follow you. Franklyn Payne can make (and probably use) healing salves, but they don't cure serious injuries like scars. Only bandages do. Only Jayna and Virgil can use bandages.

Here http://www.terra-arcanum.com/characterbank/followers.php you can find a very good description of all followers, their skills and when and how to get them. I recommend Sogg Mead Mug, Chukka or Loghaire Thunderstone.

 

Don't forget about Dog. Thorvald is also good if I remember correctly.

 

Dog is a must! As for Thorwald, he's a typical melee, I haven't tried him yet, but I'm going to as soon as I finish my current game as an elf battlemage.

 

I always like to start with the 2 herbology skills mainly to sell the stuff early in the game. But NOW that I know I have to give virgil bandages to use his heal skill and the fact you steal ritizzes key to his chest you never need money anymore, I may just leve them 2 points out in the next game.

See what you can learn by reding posts!!

Parmanian said that

 

for a techno dwarf:

i usually get a fine revolver as soon as i can so i put one or two points in gunsmithy (if only one i put the first point i earn in the game into it) then i put the rest in firearms an PE if i need it. i think dodge is useful for anyone.

 

I believe dodge is the last combat skill a good gunslinger needs to develop.

Case in point:

MY Current gunslinger, 1/2 Orc female Miracle Operation, just did the first level of the BMC mines with a Fine Revolver. Three points firearms, Expert. 1/2 point each mele & dodge, she came with that. Oh right. She started at level 9. Vergil, Sog, Janya, Magnus, & Dog. Nothing we didn't make or buy. Only optional heavy monster we took on was for the Eye Gear. Hit the far stairs at level 12. Left to get Dante while we were still level 12.

I just wanted to see how low I could do it at. Had to leave a lot of Shrouded hills undone and sneak out at level 5 so I could get Janya & Magnus early on. Despite getting Magnus when 7, we couldn't get out of the Bates Mansion lower than 9. :lol:

Next helpful trick. With the Eye Gear, Oiled Thieve's Leather & a scroll of See Invisible she gets Expert training in spot traps without spending a point. Have not spent one point on her stats yet either. Charged Rings early on. She will get Expert in mele & dodge, right after she steals an idol. That's level 18 IIRC.

She's charmed, built her first Fine Revolver at the crash site.

O. K. enough bragging, if you take explosives, throw comes long before dodge. If you prowl, you flat don't need dodge. A tecnomage gunslinger substitutes speed for dodge, or Stun. An armored smithy specalist doesn't have to dodge hardly at all.

Think about Dwarf Mad Doctor. firearms, Smithy, Gunsmithy.

 

What happened to LGR?

 

thanks for the very helpful tips unfortunately i kind of bungled him up so i had to take him to the abortion clinic anyway, i just started a 1/2 orc melee/bow guy since he's probably easier to manage. once i have at least one game completion under my belt then i'll attempt another tech-dwarf.

by the way, how many times have some of you completed the game? this will be my first time, but i typically play an rpg 3 or 4 times through depending on the replayability of the game which Arcanum seems to have a lot of. .

 

She hasn't built one yet & she dosn't steal guns. Besides, I wanted to see how tough it would be to do.

 

whereas most rpgs play through 3-4 times you can play this through maybe a hundred times and still be interested there are literally thousands of paths to choose, it is different every time, thats the beauty of arcanum.